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If and when the deal is done it will bring down the curtain on the bizarre sage of a player who could thrill and frustrate in equal measure. When the 24-year-old former Porto and Marseille midfielder scored in only his second Stoke game, at Bournemouth in February 2016, it looked like Mark Hughes had tracked down an outstanding prospect.

But Imbula failed to settle, and was recently accused of not doing enough to help himself succeed in the Premier League by former Stoke team-mate Shay Given.

The likes of Monaco, Galatasaray, Nice and Torino have been linked with Imbula over the summer, but balked at Stoke's insistence on recouping a big chunk of the cash spent on the young Frenchman.

The Potters had also been keen to sell rather than a loan, but it seems the desire to finally ship him out of the club a little over 18 months since he arrived from Portugal may have persuaded them to think again.